The modern-day marvel of Zojila tunnel planned for all-year connectivity between Leh and Srinagar was delayed due to several reasons but is now being once again put for rebidding process with the government aiming to complete the project in the stipulated target time and without major cost escalations.
Crux of the Matter
The 14.15 km long Zojila Tunnel on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway at an altitude of 11,578 feet is aimed to connect Ladakh from Kashmir which gets disconnected due to snowfall in winters. The tunnel will reduce the 3.5-hour journey to only 15 minutes. IL&FS Transportation was awarded the contract by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) but IL&FS terminated the contract and abandoned the project over financial issues.
A revised estimated cost of over Rs 8,000 crore has been presented before the cabinet. But to prevent cost escalation the ministry is deliberating on design changes. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said, “the government plans to complete the project at the earlier estimated cost of about Rs 6,800 crores and thus it may have to undergo minor design changes.” The government plans to replace the escape tunnel with vertical shafts which will not compromise with the safety and also reduce costs.
The project will now be converted into EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) mode as against the previous hybrid annuity mode. The proposed plan includes provisions for pedestrian cross passages every 250 meters, emergency telephones and fire-fighting cabinets every 125 meters, 24×7 CCTV, variable message signs (VMS), traffic logging equipment, overheight vehicle detection, tunnel radio system, and motorable cross passages and lay-bys every 750 meters.
Before IL&FS the bid of IRB Infrastructure was canceled in 2016 and a rebidding procedure was done after Congress leader Digvijay Singh had alleged violation of guidelines. The Zojila tunnel’s foundation stone was laid in May 2018 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was expected to be completed in seven years’ time.
Curiopedia
Zoji La Tunnel is a 14.2 km long road tunnel under Zoji La pass on the Himalayas between Sonmarg and Drass town of Kargil district of the Indian Union Territory Of Ladakh, currently under construction. The tunnel along with 6.5 km long Z-Morh Tunnel, (which is 22 km before Zoji La tunnel towards Srinagar) will ensure year-long road connectivity between Srinagar and Kargil which currently remains closed for about seven months due to heavy snowfall on the Zoji La pass which is situated at an altitude of 3,528 m on Srinagar-Kargil-Leh highway. Zoji La is 15 km from Sonamarg and provides a vital link with Drass and Kargil in Ladakh but remains closed for 5-6 months (Nov-Dec to April-May) during winter due to heavy snowfall & snow avalanches. More Info
Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited (IL&FS) is an Indian infrastructure development and finance company. IL&FS has 256 group companies as of 2018, including subsidiaries, joint venture companies and associate entities. Though on the surface, the company appears to have 23 direct subsidiaries, 141 indirect subsidiaries, 6 joint ventures and 4 associate companies. In April 2019, its newly constituted board informed investors that the company had 302 entities through which it currently operates, through a highly complex network of multiple business verticals. More Info
IRB Infrastructure Developers Limited is an Indian highway construction company headquartered in Mumbai. IRB Infrastructure executed the country’s first build-operate-transfer (BOT) road project and is one of the largest operators of such ventures. Currently, it has about 3,404 lane Km operational and about 2,330 lane Km under development. Among its notable projects are the Mumbai Pune Expressway and the Ahmedabad Vadodara Expressway. More Info
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